Lorina in Wonderland
by FantasticalFantasy
Summary: This is an AR in which Lorina goes to Wonderland before Alice, accidently bringing her older cousin, Alysa. Featuring roleholders we all know and love at a much youger age and their predecessors.  Collab fanfic between Space Whales & FantasticalFantasy.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you one; thank you all for reading. **** This fanfic is a collabrative work (of art) written both by myself, FantasticalFantasy, and Space Whales. If you haven't read the other stories by the master of all things whales and space, go do so after you read this.**

**This story revolves around Lorina, Alice's older sister, and her adventures in Wonderland. The idea is by Space Whales, and Lorina's older cousin, Alysa, by yours truly. Also, get ready for a TON of OC's designed by Space Whales. They're epic. I promise**

**And I really think I don't need to say this, but just in case: we do not own HNKNA or its world or any of its characters, et cetera. However, we do own our OC's.**

**Now, it's story time! **

A warm summer breeze blew at the pages of Lorina's book, causing her to lose her place in the book. She sighed, and began to flip through the pages to find where she had left off. The fifteen-year-old was lying down in the soft grass under the oak tree near the garden. She was propped up by her elbows, her chin comfortably in her hands as she found the correct place in her book and began to read again. The tree shaded her from the summer sun, but just enough warmth passed through the tree's canopy to provide her and her cousin with the perfect haven to read in. The wind blew Lorina's page away again.

"Maybe I should hold my book down, Alysa," Lorina told her sixteen-year-old cousin, laughing.

Maybe," Alysa replied, "but I think the wind should just learn some manners instead."

Lorina laughed at her cousin's reply. "I guess that's also true. So what book are you reading?" Lorina added, changing the subject.

"A strange one," Alysa answered.

"What's it called?"

"Well, it's more of a poem, really. It's called '_The Hunting of the Snark_'."

"What's a 'snark'?

"Nothing that actually exists."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Fitting – neither does the story."

"Oh. Would I want to read it."

"I don't think you'd dislike it, but I'm not sure that it would become one of your favorites, either."

"Alright, then. I'll keep it in mind for one day when I don't have anything to do."

Reading with her cousin was Lorina's favorite pastime. She loved to talk with Alysa, but she was always thankful for her mere company. Alysa was so much of a mentor to her; sometimes Lorina wondered that if she had a younger sister, if that sister would feel the same way about her. She wondered if that little sister would think she was as perfect as Lorina thought Alysa was. She wondered if she could become as good of an example of a lady for her sister to follow. However, for the time being, Lorina was perfectly happy the way things were. She'd need to become much more proper to give any sister an example to follow. Alysa was a true lady, after all. She had elegant looks – chestnut hair that always fell in a perfect bouncy curl halfway down her back and intelligent brown eyes – was flawless in dealing with society, a stellar dancer, and knowledgeable speaker. Though Lorina's looks nearly mirrored her cousin's in appearance – Lorina being a much younger-looking version - she had a long way to go if she wanted to emulate Alysa, in her opinion.

Lorina picked up the teacup she had put next to her book and raised it to her lips. Her tongue only tasted the last few drops, though. She peered down into the teacup. "It was full only a minute ago!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Alysa asked. She glanced over at her cousin. "Oh, your tea. Don't worry; there's still some more left inside. Would you like me to get you some?"

"Thank you," Lorina said as she offered her cup to the older girl. She yawned.

"Sleepy already?"

"Summer days are so perfect, they always make me feel sleepy…and stupid. Don't you feel the same way during summer?"

"Sometimes, I'm sure it must happen to me as well," Alysa said as she brushed the leaves off the front of her dark purple dress and stood up. She began to walk in the direction of the Liddell's large household. "Don't fall asleep while I'm gone," Alysa added in Lorina's direction.

"Okay," Lorina called out to Alysa as she was disappearing into the distance, already half asleep.

As Lorina's eyes were closing completely, she realized that she was falling asleep. Lorina bolted upright. _The tea is coming in just a few minutes_, she thought, _it would be rude to fall asleep so easily. _She looked around for something to distract her from her drowsiness. After a while of searching to no avail, something soft nudged her arm. She looked down.

A rabbit? It certainly looked like one. However, Lorina couldn't remember a time in her life when she had seen a rabbit quite like this one, because the rabbit currently by her side was wearing a waistcoat.

"What?" she asked it.

It said nothing to Lorina, as expected of a rabbit, but looked into her eyes, its gaze unwavering, as if to tell her something. Then, the rabbit bounced away, but slowly compared to most rabbits. After it had distanced itself a few yards away from Lorina it stopped. The rabbit looked back at her, as if to say I'm waiting; hurry up and follow me! Not wanting to be disobedient, even to a rabbit, Lorina decided to humor the small animal. She stood, brushed off the few leaves that had stuck to her own lavender dress, and walked hurriedly to join the rabbit.

"Be patient," she told it, even though she knew it couldn't understand her. After Lorina spoke, much to her confusion, the rabbit nodded, as if it had understood.

The rabbit turned and began scurrying towards its intended destination. Lorina followed it.

As this was happening, Alysa reemerged from the house with a teacup in her hand. She saw her cousin, and though she hadn't the foggiest notion of what was going on, she decided to follow her. After all, she was supposed to watch Lorina. If Lorina got lost, it wouldn't be good either for her or Lorina's parents. _Why is Lorina chasing a rabbit?_ Alysa thought as she chased after the rabbit and cousin.

Before Alysa could call out to Lorina, the rabbit jumped down a hole, causing Lorina to fall in right after it. Before Alysa could stop herself, she went tumbling into the hole after them.

Lorina screamed as she fell, but Alysa was in too much shock to scream. Both girls' eyes were wide in disbelief. The cousins became increasingly frightened each moment they couldn't see any sign of a bottom of the hole they were falling in. Lorina didn't know which was/would be worse: not seeing and end to the fall or being able to see the bottom. Both options filled her with dread. She looked at the rabbit – it…wasn't a rabbit anymore. It looked sort of like a person, but Lorina knew that rabbits could not just turn into people. _It might have switched places with the rabbit though…_ she thought. This rabbit/man, or whatever it was now was in a very humanoid form, the only rabbit like features still visible were its white rabbit ears. As they were falling, it spoke to them, but the only thing Lorina could hear was that its name was Cole.

Cole had gray hair and black eyes. The rabbit ears he wore on his head were white, and he wore a blue plaid waistcoat, though Lorina could now see that it was very unkempt and wrinkled. He held onto a silver pocket watch during the decent down the hole that Lorina had now begin to think of as a rabbit hole.

The seconds Lorina and Alysa spent falling turned into minutes, but that didn't put either of the girls at ease. Lorina knew that the longer you fell, the harder you fell. Or was it the other way around? Either way, she knew her landing wouldn't be pleasant.

Just as she was thinking this, they landed. They landed in a most unusual way, though. In fact, it took a while for Lorina to even notice they had stopped falling, because one second she was falling with no end in sight, and the next, she was…apparently sitting in the middle of a meadow.

"Huh? How did I get here?" Lorina asked to no one in particular. She continued her questions after trying to stand and finding that she wasn't able to. "Why can't I get up? Are my legs broken? I didn't feel anything! Why aren't I dead from such a long fall?"

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Alysa muttered. She sighed. _**Really**__. What has she gotten me into __**thi**__s time?_ Alysa wondered.

Then the man with bunny ears cleared his throat as if he were about to speak.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, everyone! Whaley here!**

**Believe it or not, I had the worst time trying to spell Cole's name. First, it came out "Kole," then "Coke," then "Coll." And I named him… I think I may be lysdexic. Dyslexic. Whatever. I can't type today…**

**_Note from FantasticalFantasy: You know what they say. If life gives you melons, you may be dyslexic._**

**OH! You would never guess what book I found today in Barnes and Noble! **_**The Blind Watchmaker.**_** I died laughing.**

"Huh? How did I get here? Why can't I get up? Are my legs broken? I didn't feel anything! Why aren't I dead from such a long fall?"

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Alysa muttered.

"Because it wasn't a fall at all. Unless it was. I don't remember," their new acquaintance shrugged.

Kneeling down, Cole tucked a strand of hair behind Lorina's ear. Tilting her chin to look over the landscape, he let the two girls take in their surroundings. A green carpet spread out below them. Closest to their position (apparently they were on the roof of a tower) was a forest filled with mixed trees that were comfortably weighted with leaves and needles. They danced in the wind, revealing flickers of a pink and red castle farther away. Opposite of that was a yellow and purple themed amusement park, and, making a triangle with the other two, a black and green mansion was barely visible behind gray stone walls. Coupled with the clear sky and the clean air, it painted a fairytale picture of early summer.

"It's fantastic," Lorina breathed. Beside her, Alysa was also looking on with wide eyes.

"Like something out of a dream," she agreed, momentarily forgetting their predicament.

Cole chuckled, bringing the attention back to him. "Lorina, Alysa, dears," he smiled, "welcome to Wonderland."

Back to earth, Lorina looked him over. He looked awfully distracted for a welcoming party. She found out why when he procured two small vials from the same pocket. They were each made of glass and measured from the top of her middle finger to the bottom of her palm. Held shut by heart-shaped stoppers, the only difference between the two was the color of the liquid inside. One was a pale blue, the other was a foggy purple.

"Here. Drink this… interesting liquid." Cole looked disgustedly at the vials before handing the purple one to Alysa.

"Excuse me," she protested, but she took the vial. "Who are you? And why do you know our names?"

The rabbit man sighed, and Lorina realized how odd those two words (rabbit and man) sounded together.

"Once again, my name is Cole Whitaker," he muttered, removing his glasses to clean them. He had to squint tot see his handkerchief. "And of course I'd know your names. I'm in love with you, you see."

"You?" Lorina stood. "Which 'you?'"

He stopped and squinted up with a confused, irritated look on his face. "You. You, Lorina and you, Alysa. Now drink what I gave you so we can be on time." With that, he returned the rectangular spectacles to his thin nose.

Glancing between her cousin and the cosplayer, Lorina's mouth drew into a line. Uncorking the vial, she grimly began to tip it over onto the ground. Her hand was stopped. Following the hand back to the face of Cole, she met his black eyes.

"You will drink it with or without my assistance," he said darkly.

The two girls downed the liquid without protest, and Cole's face immediately became brighter.

"Wonderful. Well, I hate to leave, but I must not be late."

"Excuse me, Mr. Whitaker," Alysa tucked the bottle into her dress. "You're just going to leave us here?"

Cole stopped and pressed his hand to his chin for a moment. "Well," he finally muttered, "yes, I suppose I am. I hope to see you soon."

With that, he disappeared.

"Wait! I thought you were supposed to love us! Don't just drag us down a hole and leave!" Lorina shouted after him.

"Lorina, sit down," Alysa tugged her hand gently. "He's gone already."

She complied with a groan. "Oh, what will we do?"

"Well, to begin, let's go downstairs. There's bound to be someone living here." Alysa pointed to a door Lorina hadn't seen previously. Leave it to her cool-headed cousin to get them back on track. Together, they walked down the spiral staircase, continuing until they reached a hallway on the first floor. As they walked down, they heard a voice.

"Wright? Garrick?" They could hear his friendly smile. Silence. "I guess not. Who's there?"

They continued until they saw a man, twenty at the most, sitting up, staring blankly at the door. He had cropped black hair that seemed blue when the light hit it correctly, and a black waistcoat that was pulled back from his hands, which rested lightly on his desk. Scattered on the desk was an array of gears, clocks, and tools, some which seemed too complicated to aid in clock fixing. Behind him was the room's only window, which cast a slight shadow over his features.

"Oh," he muttered, looking slightly off of where they were. "It's been a while since there's been any girls here. Did you have a job for me?"

"Um, no," Lorina muttered.

"I'm Alysa and this is Lorina. We were wondering if you could help us out."

He laughed, making the two relax. "I'm Kenelm Monrey. What is it that you need?"

"We were looking for a way out."

"Then that's easy. There's a door straight down the hall. It's hard to miss, so you should be out in no time."

"Um, actually," Lorina said, "We're looking for a way back to England."

"Sorry, no one's been here this cycle except you. Is England your brother, perhaps?"

"It's a country," Lorina corrected.

"I've never heard of it."

"Well it is! We were kidnapped by a cosplayer named Cole Whitaker who threw us down a hole and made us drink this weird liquid." She pulled out the vial for emphasis, holding it up to the light.

"Whitaker's a cosplayer?" he chuckled. "Okay, come here for a moment."

They walked over to his desk slowly.

"I'm not going to bite you," he stood up. Although he was laughing, it seemed like he was trying to focus on two things. His hand hovered in the air for a moment before making light contact with Lorina's head. Holding it softly now with both hands, he pressed different spots on her skull.

"Alysa, right? Do Lorina's pupils look dilated at all?" he asked her cousin. Lorina stepped back, slapping his hands away when he tried to feel her pulse.

"I didn't hit my head!" she shouted, but he looked like his mind was elsewhere again.

"Do you have eyes and a beating thing in your chest, by chance?" he asked, looking in the space between her and her cousin. His eyebrows were knitted again and he was rubbing his hand distractedly.

"Of course we do! Are y-" Lorina cut herself off. "You're blind." She didn't notice because of the light, but now that she was up close she could see the glazed, foggy look in his light blue eyes.

"I see. And you're not from here," he muttered to himself, ignoring the observation. Turning his head back to them, he said with disbelief, "You're outsiders."

"Is there anything wrong about being an outsider?" Alysa asked.

He was quiet, thinking something over before he smiled. "Not at all. But you probably don't know anything about Wonderland, do you?"

"No," she agreed, "we don't."

Standing up, Kenelm walked over to a coffee table and found a chair to sit down in. After getting the other two to join him, he ran his hands over the wood like he was spreading out a map.

"I think that the easiest way to explain this is by comparing it to a game. You are the players, and your board is Wonderland." he drew imaginary lines on the table with his fingers. "Wonderland is divided into four sections, making it look like a pinwheel. In the middle of this wheel is the clock tower, which is where you're at."

"Why is it called the clock tower?" Lorina cut in. "Clock towers usually have giant clocks on them, don't they?"

"Is that how it is in your world?" Kenelm laughed. "But we'll discuss that later."

"Sorry."

"It's no trouble. Anyways, the three sections outside of the hub are Heart Castle, Hatter Mansion, and the amusement park. These three sections are engaged in a power struggle-"

"A power struggle? With an amusement park?"

"Viscous people when they want to be," he told them solemnly. "Well," he continued, "the clock tower is the only neutral territory, and thus I'm a neutral role holder." He went on to explain what role holders were and the basic roles. Once he was done, it was Alysa this time who asked a question.

"You mentioned that this was like a game. What is the game's objective? How do you win?"

"Hmm," he thought and Lorina smiled at the idea that his most expressive actions were performed by his eyebrows. That idea and the wonder of why his forehead was so wrinkle-free. "I can't explain that one to you, but I will tell you this: once you've drunk the Medicine of the Heart, you cannot leave alone. You cannot start alone, either, so it's only fitting.

"Personally, I think that the objective for each person is different, and that you have to find it yourself. The only way to do that is to get out there and get to know the locals. Interacting with more people will refill that vial as well. It's a bit dangerous out there, but the Medicine is the key to the way out."

"Oh," Alysa muttered. "How long will it take?"

"Sorry, I have no idea. You're the first outsiders I've met."

"Really?" Lorina asked, leaning forward on her chair. "You explained the Wonderland thing so well it seemed like you did it every day!"

He gave a small chuckle. "Thank you. I often teach my nephew and his friend Ace."

Alysa was still caught on the subject of getting out. "We'll need somewhere to stay."

"Can we stay here?" Lorina immediately piped. Then realizing, she turned to Kenelm. More politely, she asked, "May we stay here? You're the only one we know right now and…"

Kenelm smiled and, in a moment, found and mussed her hair. "Of course. If that's what you two wish to do."

"Great!" the cousins smiled at each other.

"Is there anything we can do to help out? To pay rent, I mean."

Kenelm considered, his eyebrows once again knitting. Finally, he sat back and felt the wall beside him.

"The clockmaker before the last one had a great library. However, he and the hatter had a fight, and all the books were lost. If you could find books and make maps to refill these shelves, I would really appreciate it."

"Deal! While we explore, we can map the region. I can sketch, not as well as Alysa, but still. It would be fun, right, Alysa?"

Alysa sighed, smiling. "If you say so." Lorina, although doing her best, was far from being a lady. She had time to develop, though, so she didn't need to hurry.

"Hm," Lorina had already begun fantasizing. "Let's go to the Hatter's mansion first!"

**In the book **_**Alice in Wonderland,**_** Time has a fight with the Hatter, so I thought I may as well mention it.**

**Oh, and do you get why I was laughing, now?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kind of short chapter, but… I rather like this one.**

**I guess forcing my fingers to type the strange extra for my other story encouraged me to finish this chapter. Isn't that great?**

**Space Whale's note:  
Hello! Whaley here! I was momentarily dead, but Julius gave me CPR (lie) so I'm alive again! 3333**

Okay, fangirl moment over. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did! You should all review to let us know! *not so subtle hinthint*

"We'll see you later, Kenelm!" Lorina called as she and her cousin departed from the clock tower.

"Take care," Alysa added.

When the girls had shut the door behind them, Kenelm chuckled to himself. He hadn't even known those foreigners for half of an hour, and they were already bidding him goodbye, already concerned about him, telling him to take care. It seemed almost funny to him, really. Not many cared much for him, not with his role. And here these two girls were, and they were already treating him like a good friend, or family, even. They really _did_ come from another world.

"What do we do about the books?" Lorina asked her cousin, wondering about their task. The cousins were sitting on a large moss-covered rock alongside the path in the forest between territories. The forest was cool, shaded from the sun. Some rays of sunlight streamed in between the leaves, casting a golden shadow onto the trail. It was beautiful. Lorina didn't remember being in the middle of such beautiful scenery for a long time. She took advantage of her picturesque surroundings to begin a sketch. Lorina drew in a leather bound book with blank pages, which was soon to be a map book. However, she decided that a book with just maps would be boring, so she decided to add some pictures in pages that would be between maps. She planned to draw something from each map she made.

"I would have to assume that we'll buy some books later, so for now, we should jut focus on mapping the surrounding areas," Alysa said, answering Lorina's question.

"Oh," Lorina mumbled happily. She had no problem drawing the maps at all. Holding up her book to show Alysa the progress she had made on her drawing, she asked, "Does this look right?"

Lorina definitely had skill in art, and had been getting better and improving her technique quickly in the past year. She loved her artwork, especially since Alysa had been the first one to teach her to draw. As a result of this, when wanting feedback on anything art-related, Lorina always sought out Alysa's opinion.

Alysa pointed to a tree branch jutting out over the path in her cousin's sketch. "That's at a little bit of an unnatural angle," she advised, "Try pointing it down somewhat."

Turning the book back to where she could see it, Lorina inspected the drawn tree branch, then compared it to the original. A slight pensive frown touched Lorina's expression momentarily, but in realizing how to fix the sketch, she smiled again.

After much more drawing - along with many more requested inspections by Alysa – Lorina was finally satisfied enough to continue to the Hatter's Mansion that Kenelm had described briefly, the territory she was eager to visit. The two continued on their journey.

Just as Lorina was about to complain and impatiently ask Alysa when they would reach the Hatter's Mansion (not that Alysa would know), they did. The trail had led them into a large clearing in which an extravagant mansion stood.

"I guess we're here!" Lorina exclaimed. She turned her back to the mansion to look at her cousin, as Lorina had gone ahead of Alysa in her excitement.

A voice spoke behind them. "But you shouldn't be."

Lorina spun around, holding on to Alysa's arm, which made her spin too. As soon as Alysa recovered from her dizziness, she saw two young men – she couldn't tell if they were in their early twenties or late teens - standing in front of them. Both had light brown hair. One of them wore his hair short; the other had long hair tied back in a ponytail. They both wore strange tunic-like uniforms: the one with short hair had an orange uniform with small black stripes, and the one with longer hair wore a uniform identical in all aspects except that where the other uniform was orange, his was yellow. As if they didn't look strange enough in their clothes, each boy's eye color matched the main color of his uniform. Besides their hairstyles, eyes, and clothing, they were identical. Alysa immediately labeled them "suspicious". She made a mental note to be cautious around them. Obviously, Lorina didn't have any similar thoughts.

"Funny you should say that," Lorina said. She smiled good-naturedly, as if she did think they looked even slightly out of the ordinary. "You see, we actually are supposed to be here. We're running a few errands for that nice clockmaker, Kenelm."

The boy in yellow smirked and shot a sideways glance at his companion. At the same time, both of them moved to either side of the foreigner duo. The one in yellow slung his arm around Alysa's shoulders, and his near duplicate hooked his arm around Lorina's. Both smiled charmingly at their respective girls.

"_Nice_ clockmaker?" the boy in orange asked.

"Kenelm?" the other inquired.

At the same time, the strangers shot sideways glances at each other and said, "We don't know who you're talking about. We do know a clockmaker, who – coincidentally – is called Kenelm, but not one with those attributes who is nice, you see."

"Um," Alysa began uncomfortably, ready to suggest that she and Lorina leave. She never got a chance, however, because the boy in yellow interrupted.

"The name's Locke," he introduced himself, stepping in front of Alysa. He was still unnervingly close to the girl, only a few inches away. "Locke Tweedle, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Without moving from Lorina's side, the other one also introduced himself. "Contrariwise, I'm Morven - of the same surname. Locke's-"

"_older_-" Locke cut in.

"twin."

Locke spoke again. "And I think you two lovely ladies will find us much more… _nice _than the clockmaker." He had a devilish glint in his eye, a glimmer only noticed by Alysa.

Alysa took a tentative step backwards. "Well, I would… _we_ would love to stay and get to know you better, but Kenelm wanted us to return to the clock tower shortly, so I am afraid that we will have to take our leave now." she lied.

Lorina looked at her cousin in confusion, but, thankfully, did not raise an objection to Alysa's statement. However, the Tweedle boys were not convinced.

"Is that so?" Morven asked.

"Such a shame," Locke said. He raised an eyebrow at Alysa. "And here we were hoping that you would play with us for a while." Locke sighed. He turned to Morven and addressed him. "It seems that the young lady doesn't believe us when we tell her that we're nice, brother. Isn't it a pity?"

"Yes, brother," Morven replied. He looked over at the girls. "Do you ladies know why it is a pity?" he asked them.

Lorina shook her head to suggest that she didn't. Alysa didn't move or say anything. She just stared ahead a Locke, trying to conjure an excuse to leave.

"It's because we _so_ wanted to play with you, ladies," Locke told them. His smirk had widened.

"But we can't if you refuse," Morven said.

"And if we can't play with you, we have to kill you," Locke finished.

"Sorry, it's the job," the twins chorused. They didn't look all too remorseful, especially as they pulled out – from where, Alysa could never guess – kusarigamas*****. Morven stepped behind the two, blocking the cousins' exit route after drawing his weapon out of thin air.

"Do we run?" Lorina whispered.

Alysa wondered when Lorina had finally gotten a clue about their situation. Alysa would have loved to whisper back, 'yes', but, unfortunately, running wasn't much of an option for them at the moment. Instead, she told her cousin, "No, we can't. But I have an idea, so you stay silent, okay?"

Lorina nodded.

"And just what job is that?" Alysa asked aloud.

Locke gave Alysa a questioning look. "I don't know where you think small talk is going to get you in this situation, but I guess we very well can't refuse to answer a lady's question."

It was Morven who actually answered the question. "We're the gatekeepers of the mansion," he said.

"So then you are the guards," Alysa clarified.

"We are," Locke confirmed.

"Then as long as we do not enter the mansion, you have done your jobs, correct?"

"Yes," Locke answered slowly, drawing the word out. He motioned for his twin to join him.

When Morven was standing next to Locke again, the two began to whisper to each other about Alysa's point. After a few exchanges, Locke and Morven began to engage in a heated debate about something. Whether it was about Alysa's statement or something else, Alysa decided to not stay to find out.

"Run," she ordered Lorina quietly, taking her hand.

…

When the Tweedles finally ceased their whispered argument, only then did they notice that their guests had vanished.

"I think they tricked us, brother," Morven said.

"I think they did, brother," Locke replied. He stared at the spot where Alysa and Lorina had stood. They had been interesting, he decided. But they wouldn't fool him a second time.

**So… yeah. How did you guys like the twins? XD**

*** A Kusarigama is a ninja's weapon. It's basically a blade on a handle with a chain. These twins are violent.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again, everyone! 'Tis I, the Whaley One. Oresama. Hahaha... hehe... hoho...**

**Anyways, I'm super happy to be here, and I hope that you guys are just as happy (and tell us through your wonderful reviews. Hint hint. Nudge nudge.) Now, to our wonderful, amazing reviewers!**

**Pasty: ... PAAAAAAAASTYYYYYY! *attackleglomps* Welcome to Lorina's Wonderland! Hope you enjoy your stay!**

**Calypso: Why thank you! I'm happy to have you as a reader!**

**Heart: Heartno... what... How did you come up with that name...? That is way cool... Well, anyways, thank you! Please continue to review!**

**Anime: *happy* *huggles* I'm glad someone out there got it... Thank you, and please continue to review!**

**FantasticalFantasy's note: Yes, you reviewers are all totally awesome! Seriously, where would I get motivation without you guys? XD So anyway, your faithful reading and reviewing is going to be paid off right here in this chapter, because Lorina and Alysa meet some **_**awesome**_** characters. Enjoy! XD  
**

Lorina and Alysa huffed heavily, supporting themselves on a hospitable-looking tree. The former kicked off her shoes to ward off blisters while the latter dazedly replaced her bobby pins.

"They... seemed nice enough at... ha... at first... Wh... why did they attack us?"

"Lorina... I don't think everyone is as nice as Kenelm."

"But why did... they want to attack us?"

"Because that's how Wonderland works." A young man stepped out of the shadows. His wavy mop of black hair almost concealed his shocking green eyes. He stood perhaps an inch or two over six feet and his red and black uniform only served to make him more imposing. His electric eyes narrowed at them as his hand rested on a hefty broadsword.

"You mentioned Kenelm Monrey?"

Alysa froze. How could she answer? He obviously seemed hostile, and if she answered "yes," there was no telling what he would do to them.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"We're staying with him," Lorina smiled at the same time.

The man's eyes thinned to slits with skepticism, and Alysa held the hem of her skirt, getting ready to run again.

She was stopped as the man sighed. "He would," he said in a disgusted murmur. "The idiot would do it in a heartbeat." Looking up, he gave a sneer that marred his handsome features. "And why would he keep to such unsightly wenches?"

Alysa's jaw set. "We had nowhere else to go. We're outsiders."

Surprise flashed across his face. "Outsiders?" It disappeared and he smirked again. "I imagined you would be prettier. I guess your 'assets' forsook quality for quantity. Shame." With that, he began walking away.

There was only the soft drop of footfalls while Lorina shook.

"Wait!" she finally managed.

The man stopped.

"What... is... _wrong with you?"_ she growled, picking up one of her shoes. "Did you just appear to insult us?" she threw her high heel at him. "Three of the four people we've met have insulted us, threatened us, or physically tried to kill us! It wasn't our choice to come here! We just thought we were following a rabbit! A rabbit! But no, we had to be dragged down here so we could be called dirt by worms like you! If we weren't helping Kenelm, I would have stayed in the clocktower, so don't act so high and mighty!" she threw her other shoe at him for good measure.

He caught it without blinking. With another smirk, he mocked, "And what are you doing for the clockmaker?"

"Why should we tell scum-"

"We're collecting books for his library," Alysa quickly cut off her cousin, trying to mend the situation.

They could almost hear his condescending sneer. "You do know he's _blind_, correct?"

Silence.

A chuckle fell from the man's lips as he saw the girls put two and two together. "I see." He tossed Lorina's shoes back to her. "Well then, let me help you get something useless for Kenelm. Come on." He started walking again, but stopped when they didn't follow. "Oh, did you suddenly find your bearings? Do you have somewhere better to go?" he called over his shoulder, obviously smirking when small footsteps gingerly fell behind him.

"Garrick," he informed them.

"Huh?" Alysa asked.

"I'm Garrick Fielding, knight of Heart Castle," he elaborated, not bothering to face them.

"Oh," she murmured. "Well, I'm Alysa."

"My name's Lorina," the younger girl huffed.

"Whatever," Garrick shrugged.

Shooting each other a glance, a single thought crossed both their minds: _He was so frustrating!_

The rest of the walk was silent. The forest was dappled with evening patches of amber sunlight that shifted and shook when the trees swayed. Light that filtered through the leaves gave the path a soft tint, but broke into a clear day as they exited the forest, entering into a bustling town. Everything was paved with warm, red brick. Behind the town, serving as a majestic backdrop, was Heart Castle, a flamboyant but beautiful edifice glittering with marble and stained glass. Remembering the view from the tower, Lorina leaned over to Alysa.

"This really is a Wonderland," she breathed.

Alysa smiled in reply.

After Garrick led them through a maze and into the castle, they were greeted by maids bustling back and forth, hurrying to who-knows-where and carrying various items for who-knows-what. There were porcelain vases and silks and bird cages and crystals the size of Lorina's head, but they all had one thing in common: they must have cost a small fortune.

"Gawk while you walk," Garrick growled, ignoring the servants' greetings.

It wasn't long before they were standing in front of a pair of huge double doors. The knight turned to them with a slightly sick look on his face.

"This is the throne room," he glared menacingly at the floor.

Silence again.

"Aren't you going to come with us?" Alysa finally asked.

"No."

Lorina grinned. "He must be on bad terms with the royalty. I bet he's banned from the throne room."

"Am not!" With that surprising outburst, he pushed open the door and stormed inside.

It was extravagantly spacious, with large windows and chandeliers that probably weighed more than all the furniture in the castle. In front of them was a raised platform on which sat three chairs, in two of which sat the apparent king and queen.

The king sat back in his throne with sandy blond hair and eyes the purple of blackberry juice. He seemed unusually thin for a man-he seemed about twenty-five-but his cold, bored gaze made him seem at least an inch taller than his companion. In contrast, she had black hair and green eyes, with a face that was an odd kind of pretty.

When Lorina voiced so, however, Garrick grimaced.

"Most of it's cosmetics."

"You're so mean!"

"Garrick! You're back!" They were interrupted by the queen. She had a very low alto voice, Lorina noted, as the queen gathered her dress and ran down the stairs to throw herself into the knight's arms. "I thought that you were avoiding me!"

Garrick didn't return the hug. "I _was_ avoiding you."

She forced a giggle and smacked his arm with her fan. "Oh, you don't mean that."

"Um, you two seem close," Alysa observed politely.

Finally noticing the foreigners, the queen squealed again and peeled herself off of Garrick. "So cute! And they have _faces!_ Garrick, are they-"

"They're not mine," the knight growled.

"Averill," a high tenor cut in from the king's seat, "give them some air. We're short on staff, even with Garrick. We still need him, so don't scare him off."

"But Ravel..." The queen pouted, but returned to her seat. Sitting down with a regal air, she sighed. "Here. Happy? Now, little brother and his cute new friends, what can I do for you?"

"I told you not to call me that," Garrick muttered.

"Don't contradict your queen," she folded her arms. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Alysa and this is Lorina," Alysa curtsied.

Lorina followed her lead. "We were hoping that we might be able to have your unwanted books."

The queen's eyes lit up again. "You two are so _polite!_ Well, you've come to the right place! Ravel had some books that he wanted to get rid of, didn't you, honey?"

The king gave a nonchalant shrug.

"I'll show you where they are!" she chirped, running down the stairs again. Lorina thought briefly that she had great speed for someone in heels.

Quietly, they followed the queen down the plush-carpeted hallways. Lorina was gawking, as was Alyssa (although much less openly), but Garrick just looked rather irked at the world in general. When Averill plucked a rose out of a glass vase and put it in her hair, he finally spoke.

"Averill, you are the most disgusting king on the face of this country."

"Garrick," she whined, "You're so mean."

"King?" Lorina asked.

The knight sighed. "Averill is a-"

"Here we are!" the queen chortled, escorting them into a small office. The setup, although more expensive, was almost identical to Kenelm's room. There was a wide rectangular desk at the back near a window, a fireplace, and a wall devoted to bookshelves opposite to the hearth. It was lighter, though, because the room's window doubled as the entrance to a white balcony and let in twice as much light.

However, it wasn't until Garrick tripped over something that the cousins noticed the twelve or so books scattered in piles of three on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Averill offered her hand.

He ignored it, and Lorina scowled at his behavior.

Alysa lifted one of the books off the ground, inspecting its worn cover. "It looks like it's been well loved."

"Ravel reads books over and over until he can practically recite its contents. These are some of the books he's finished recently. It's not much, but feel free to take them."

"Thank you," Alysa smiled. "Is there anything we can do for you in return?"

"So polite!" she squealed. Giving Alysa a quick hug, Averill smiled. "Just stay as cute as you have been and we're even."

Lorina picked up some books, loading them into her arms. "Thank you!"

The queen's face lit up again. "You are so welcome! I'll give you a hug, too!"

Her plan was halted when Garrick grabbed her by the back of her dress. "Give it a rest," he growled.

"It's fine," Lorina shifted the books in her arms.

"No, it's not."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Why do you have to be so mean to your sister?"

"Averill's not my sister."

"Then why did she say she was?"

Garrick stared at her for a while before sighing. "You don't get it, do you?" When there was no reply, he sighed again. "Alright, I'll give introductions. Averill, these are the wenches. Wenches, this is Averill. My _brother."_

A butterfly beat its wings outside. No other sound was heard.

Finally, the queen gave a nervous giggle. "I'm a girl at heart."

**I chose the name Ravel 'cuz he's my favorite composer at the moment. (For those who don't know, the name Vivaldi) **

**FantasticalFantasy's note: Oh, I get it! Everyone, if you don't know who Vivaldi is, wikipedia him. Yes, Vivaldi is a boy. Which – I don't think it was planned this way, but… - sort of fits in with the crossdressing tyrants… erm, rulers. Then, go to youtube and search "The Four Seasons Vivaldi". You may recognize "Spring"; I know it's one of my favorites. And funny thing, Space Whales forgot to include this similar message:**

"I chose the name Ravel 'cuz he's my favorite composer at the moment  
(especially "Tzigane," "Jeux d'Eau," and "Pavane de la Belle au Bois  
Dormant"(piano arrangement)). For those who don't know, Vivaldi shares her  
name with a famous composer. He wrote The Four Seasons. You're probably  
familiar with "Spring," but if you're not, you should listen to it. After you  
review, that is. ^_^" – Space Whales. 

**Again, Fantastical speaking, Garrick is **_**soooooo**_** mean! But he sounds hot to me. So the mean-ness can be forgiven. XD At least, in my book it can.**

**Fantastical still on the mic, just so you guys know, when I read this over DocX for the first time, I was purposely listening to "Dude Looks Like a Lady" by Aerosmith. XD**

**And one last thing from Fantastical (I talk a lot, don't I?): Before I read this chapter, I never thought about how stupid it would be for the cousins to collect books for a blind man. But at least with the maps, he can feel the pencil/pen lines. It would be a mirror version of the map, but Alice through the looking-glass, right? I guess Kenelm can just have someone read to him (maybe a foreigner? I don't know yet) or maybe he's just collecting the books to replenish the library for the next mortician or to give Lorina and Alysa something to do. But if it was that last one, he could have come up with something else that made more sense for the girls to do. Of course, which is more fun for Space Whales and me to write?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Listen up, everyone! Everything below this paragraph, I wrote almost an entire _year_ ago. I know, I'm bad. I just don't want to rewrite things, and I'm finally posting! I'm back! Now, it seems Space Whales hasn't been here in quite a while now, so I'm breaking tradition and posting without her. I hope you can forgive me and my juvenile writing of a year ago. Additionally, about The Things That Happen When Nightmare Gets Bored, despite my incredibly childish writing, I might continue it.**

**Ok, it's my turn now, the fantastic FantasticalFantasy. Before I get this chapter started, I would just like to mention something that has blown me away for its awesomeness: I get international readers!**

**Yay!XD Yay!XD Yay!XD Yay!XD Yay!XD Yay!XD Yay!XD Yay!XD**

**Right. So, back to the whole "international readers!" thing. I think that it is _so_ cool! XD According to my data (which I checked a forever ago), the people who care about this story enough to read it include: quite a few people from the US, about one from France, another person from Romania, and somebody from the UK!**

**I feel so popular. XD**

**In other news, here is a quote from Whaley's profile: "Will be updated if you bug FantasticalFantasy b^.^d"**

**YES! BUG ME! SERIOUSLY, I NEED TO BE BUGGED. If I haven't updated and you want chapters, send semi-annoying PM's to me demanding a speedy update. XD I won't hold it against you, I promise. I will be grateful! XD**

_Lovely_, Alysa thought sarcastically. _So far, we've met maniacal twins that either want to kill us… ugh…or worse…; an exceedingly rude knight who can not seem to manage to open his mouth without insulting us, most often with the term "wenches"; and a happy couple… of cross-dressing monarchs. _She sighed. _I could really use some tea right now._

Alysa and Lorina were walking through the palace halls, finally making their departure after escaping the queen's… no, king's…well, male-ruler-that-dresses-like-a-female's-

After escaping Averill's unrelenting chatter. The drag queen _definitely _knew how to talk like a girl.

Alysa's arms were loaded with books, but at least she was carrying a reasonable amount. The same could not be said for her cousin, who was lagging behind Alysa due to the mountain of books inhibiting both her ability to keep up and her line of vision. Evening had dawned a few minutes ago, and through the windows, the outside world was pitch black, which didn't exactly help Lorina keep up. Artificial light lit the castle, which would otherwise be impossible to navigate.

"So I was thinking," Alysa began, speaking with more volume than usual to allow the sound to reach Lorina's ears, "that we should drop these off at Kenelm's clock tower and then head out to do some no-obligation exploring. Maybe beforehand we should ask why a blind man wants books so badly. However, I don't think we should be too intrusive about the matter after our host has been so kind to-"

"Who _are_ you talking to?" a now all-too familiar voice cut in.

"What are you talking about?" Alysa asked as she stopped and turned around to face the direction of the voice. When she saw the corridor behind her, Alysa saw the problem. Actually, the problem was not what Alysa _could _see, but was in fact what she _couldn't_ see. There seemed to be a distinctive lack of Lorina's in the corridor. "Oh."

"'Oh,' indeed." Garrick chuckled. It wasn't a pleasant sound to Alysa's ears at all. In that moment Alysa decided his laugh was nearly as rude, cruel, and arrogant as its creator. The knight smirked. "Might you need to look for someone?"

"You know where she is," Alysa stated. Her eyes slanted in a subtle glare.

"Do I?" Garrick's smirk widened.

"Tell me where she is."

"Oh?" The knight sauntered towards her. "You don't even have the decency to ask politely, and yet you call yourself a lady?"

Before Alysa could think of a witty comeback, she lost sight of Garrick – and everything else. Her surroundings were unexpectedly shrouded in darkness.

Garrick cursed. "Blackout," he sneered.

"B-blackout?" Alysa asked.

"Yeah. The lights went out, and there's no telling when they'll be back on again," he explained. He was breathing heavily, and though Alysa couldn't see it, squeezing his eyes shut. Anyone could tell something was off about him. Bewildered, Alysa took a few steps in his general direction, hoping she'd be able to see what was wrong with him.

"Garrick?" she asked, "Are you alright?"

At the sound of her voice closer than before, Garrick flinched and took a few hurried steps backwards. Though it was too dark to see much of anything, Alysa could perceive the movement. Connecting the dots, she began to laugh. She laughed more loudly than she had in a long time. "You're afraid of the dark, aren't you?" she gasped out as soon as she could stop laughing long enough to speak.

"What? _No!_ I mean, w-what are you t-talking about?"

Confident in her assertion, Alysa pressed on. "Oh, you _know_ what I'm talking about," she teased. Alysa wasn't usually mean to anyone, and if she was, she only expressed it in her own thoughts, but this time revenge felt _good_.

Garrick was silent. Minutes passed in silence. Revenge didn't feel so good anymore. Alysa was beginning to feel guilty. _I mean, he's _really_ scared right now. It must be a phobia of his. Who am I to pick on him? Everyone is scared of _some_thing!_

"So you'll tell me where Lorina is?"

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever… wench."

"Thank you," Alysa replied with an audible hint of satisfaction. She wasn't feeling all too guilty anymore.

…

Averill squealed in delight. "So cuuuute!" he exclaimed, clasping his hands together and bouncing up and down on the tips of his toes in excitement.

"You think so?" Lorina asked excitedly. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black dress with the glittery gold outlines of hearts of all sizes all over the dress. There was a black and gold ribbon in her hair, tied like a headband. She did a little twirl and giggled. "This is so much fun! What's next?" she asked giddily, forgetting that the "queen" was male. She wasn't used to others gushing over her after being introduced to her cousin.

"Why, of course! There's no denying your cousin is an elegant, lady-like kind of beauty, which I must say, runs in your family, but there's something you have than she just… doesn't."

Lorina looked at Averill with wide eyes.

The queen continued. "Maybe it's that extra little sparkle in your eyes, or maybe it's your fun-loving aura, but you are such the energetic little cutie, my dear, so how about you try on _this_ dress?"

Ravel glanced over at the pair from his favorite reading chair in her and Averill's "secret hideaway" - which nearly every Wonderlander knew about. Half the Heart Castle's staff knew the said room's location. The others really didn't care. Sometimes, like at that moment, Ravel wondered what it would be like to act her gender every once in a while. But she didn't care all too much about things like that, not as long as she had her books to keep her company. They would take her anywhere she wanted to go or transform her into anyone she wanted to be – male _or_ female. Shrugging, Ravel turned her attention back to Atticus Finch's suspenseful and brilliant defense.*

…

Garrick managed to stumble over to a supply closet, find a candle and matches, and light the wick. Now that a portion of the world around him was illuminated, Garrick's confidence returned, almost in full, and he was ready to talk business. "Lorina is, without a doubt, in Averill and Ravel's not-so-secret "secret hideaway."

"And where would that be?"

"You don't know? Not my problem, wench." The knight paused for effect. "But I suppose I _could_ take you to her, but it sure as heck ain't gonna be a favor, hear me, wench?"

_Fine, I'll bite._ "What's your proposal?"

"Here's the deal: I take you to your beloved sis, cous, niece, or whatever she is to you and you never utter a word about my achluophobia to anyone… especially not to my disgusting brother."

"Deal," Alysa replied without a moment of hesitation. She reached out a hand to shake, but Garrick ignored her and turned away from her.

He took long strides in the direction Alysa had come from. "Coming, wench?"

_He sure calls people by their rude titles given by him a lot._

Garrick led Alysa through the castle until he reached a door, which he opened to reveal a kitchen.

"Wha-" Alysa began.

In the kitchen, several faceless servants were gathered around a counter with several lanterns glowing on top of it. The servants had been talking with one another good-naturedly until the noticed the knight's arrival, at which time a hush fell upon the group.

"May we be of assistance?" A male servant dressed as a butler braved.

"Yeah, take this wench to my queer brother's favorite room," Garrick answered, motioning to Alysa with a hand. The butler nodded. Without another word, Garrick disappeared around a corner, candle still in hand.

"This way if you please, madame."

When Alysa and the butler reached a door that he announced to be their majesty's hideaway, the butler knocked on the door and called out, "Your Graces, Madame Alysa is here, seeking the company of Your Excellencies and the Madame Lorina." One could even hear the butler's capitalizations.

"Come in, come in!" Averill exclaimed. After thanking the butler, Alysa opened the door and entered the room. "You're always welcome with us, darling Alysa; both of you please consider us good friends!"

"Gladly, Your Majesty," Alysa responded with a curtsey.

Averill giggled. "Again! Always so polite – you girls are so precious!"

Alysa took note of the scene before her. Ravel, the king, was reading on a cushioned chair in the corner of the room. Ravel looked up and smiled politely at the newcomer before once again ignoring her surroundings to plunge into the world of literature. Averill and Lorina were seated at opposite sides of a heart-themed table. The chairs, of course, had to have heart-shaped backs. They seemed to be enjoying tea and various tarts along with a few other expensive-looking pastries that Alysa could not name.

"Tea?" Averill offered. She gestured to an empty chair at the table.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Ravel, seat the cute young maiden, please!"

Dazed from returning to the present time and world, Ravel looked at Averill quizzically.

"Her chair, silly! Be a gentleman and seat the cute miss!" Averill said, laughing lightly at the king's disorientation.

Before Ravel could move to obey Averill's command, Alysa objected. "No, I couldn't trouble Your Majesty so." Alysa obliged to the offer of tea, though, by sitting down herself.

"I realize that you two are obligated too be elsewhere," the king began, "so Averill won't keep you long. You'll be on your way in no time, and hopefully not too late."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Alysa said, relieved.

After an impossibly brief cup of tea, Alysa and Lorina were finally on their way.

"Where to next?" Lorina asked excitedly.

Alysa narrowed her eyes. "Back. To. Kenelm's."

***This is a reference to a great American classic, _To_ _Kill a Mockingbird_ by Harper Lee. It is an amazing and insightful book, and I urge you all to read it. You have to be patient, though, because the beginning can be quite boring, as it takes a long time to set up the scene for the plot. It's one of my favorite classics. If you attend an American school, chances are that you'll have to read it for class, so I recommend becoming familiar with it now so that you won't become lost in class. In this chapter, I had written another sentence concerning the novel, but I decided to not ruin the whole book for you guys who haven't read it.**

**If you don't believe me that this is a good book, you should check the most trustworthy reviews: top 100 most banned book lists from various years. The best books in the world are found there, so if you're looking for a great read, check one of these lists out.**

**Imma be in high school soon! Yay! XD I'm going to a really small charter high school, so I'll feel right at home. I spent most of my time in elementary school in a charter school, and then for Jr. High, went to a public school – it was a big culture shock because I was more oblivious to normal things (like the way kids act at public school) than my friends.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Delanna: Yay! I was worried about how people would react to the different characters, I'm happy to see that it went over well. And thanks so much for the originality comment. I'm always paranoid about being original, so it makes me happy when people say I am.**

**Minori: Fantasy and I were debating on how the royals should be different. After several messages, I was like, "What if the king crossdressed?" Haha, Averill's a peach, so I'm glad you enjoyed him as much as I did. And Vivaldi's "Spring" is probably one of the most famous subtle classics, like Mozart's "Eine Klein Nacht Music," so you probably have heard it in several places. :D It's a happy song.**

Averill was almost in tears when she—he—ugh—heard that they were going back to the Clock Tower on their own. "Oh, my dears, will you two be alright? I could send Garrick—"

"No thank you!" both girls simultaneously replied. Garrick was the last thing Lorina wanted to see. She normally got along with people and believed that no one was genuinely bad, but the knight made it hard for her to remember that. He was such a snob.

The queen looked distressed. "But—"

"Averill," Ravel said, pausing only to glance at his spouse. "They're outsiders. No one will hurt them."

"That's right," Alysa agreed, "we're outsiders." Whatever that meant.

"Why didn't we listen to him—her—Averill?" Lorina whined, for the seventh time in the past two hours. Garrick may have been the last person she wanted to see, but he would do if she could just see_someone._ Almost since they left the palace, they had been lost. Despite the shade of the forest's canopy, she and her cousin were hot and sweating from the exertion of being laden with books for the whole, misguided trip.

"Because we both imagined that it was a straight shot to Kenelm's," Alysa huffed.

"You sound mad," Lorina paused, peering over her stack. Her cousin was irritated sometimes, and occasionally enjoyed excessive vengeance, but was rarely angry. Lorina determined it must have been Garrick's fault. When her cousin didn't immediately reply, she continued. "It's okay, I don't like him, either."

Alysa started, looking over at her. "It's—it's not that I don't like him, I'm just angry that he tricked us."

"He tricked us? I thought he was too stupid to trick us."

Alysa pursed her lips. "Lorina, you shouldn't say things like that, especially when he's so nice to let us stay with him."

"No he's not! He's not nice at all! And he never offered to let us stay!"

"Lorina, what are you talking about?"

"Garrick! What are _you_talking about?"

"Kenelm."

The two cousins looked at each other for a moment and broke into an exhausted sort of giggles.

"Maybe we should take a break," Alysa said, setting down her books.

Lorina, nodding her agreement, sat down with a heavy thump and peeled off her shoes and stockings. When her cousin issued a warning, Lorina threw herself onto the ground. "I don't care if it's unladylike! No one's gonna see my ankles anyways! We're lost—alone—in a forest who-knows-where."

"Oliver believes someone knows where we possibly are."

The two girls started at the new voice. Alysa was the first to gather herself and looked around for the speaker. Lorina shrieked and yanked her stockings back on.

"Of course, they wouldn't know where _Oliver_is, Oliver thinks," the voice continued. "But if they happened upon Oliver, Oliver thinks they might know the location in which Oliver is standing, Oliver supposes. But in that circumstance, Oliver would imagine that they would first have to know where Oliver possibly isn't." As he spoke, he appeared before them in parts. First it was his eyes—a startling, dragonfly-wing silver with a slit-shaped pupil—then a grinning mouth, followed by wine-purple hair, a sallow face with a pointed chin, and a whip-thin body covered in neon orange tank top and silver shorts. A silver collar hung loosely around his neck. He looked somewhere in his preteens.

"Who are you?" Alysa finally responded.

"But in that case," he muttered to himself, still grinning, "Oliver would think that Oliver should have been able to deduce where Oliver is by where Oliver isn't."

"Who are you?" Lorina repeated a little more harshly than her cousin.

He looked startled, as if he had forgotten they were there. The girls noticed that the smile didn't drop from his face. "Well, Oliver is Oliver. And Oliver supposes that you is You." The sentence seemed to tickle him greatly, as his face broke into a smile and he began a sort of tittering laugh. It was more unnerving than humorous.

The cousins glanced at each other. "Um, we'll have to be going," Alysa stood, quickly gathering her books.

The smile dropped from his face, replaced with a lonely expression. "Don't say that." The grin returned, and he looked at Lorina. "Play with Oliver. You're lost aren't you? Oliver can take you where you need to go, Oliver thinks. But Oliver can't unless You plays with Oliver."

"I'm sorry, but—" Alysa started.

"Okay," Lorina said. "I'll play with you."

The boy's eyes lit up. "Really? You'll play with Oliver?" His grin widened so much that Alysa was worried that his thin face might split in half. She stepped towards her cousin, taking her arm to help her stand.

"We're actually in a hurry, so I'm afraid that—" 

The boy's eyes narrowed, and for the first time, Alysa noticed that he sported a pair of cat ears and a tail that had begun to thrash back and forth. "Oliver didn't ask the hag. Oliver wants to play with You." A pair of Glocks materialized in his hands, both aimed at Alysa. "Let. You. Go."

Alysa was so shocked that her grip relaxed for a moment. But in that moment, Lorina was tackled out of her grasp and literally disappeared. All that was left was a stocking and her pile of books.

"Lorina? Lorina!" Alysa called. She couldn't have just disappeared, that was impossible. But the longer she spent wondering, the more disappearing seemed probable. Earlier, Garrick had told them that "that's how Wonderland works." Was this another Wonderland phenomenon, for preteens to hold someone to gunpoint then kidnap their family? Or, thinking back to the twin gatekeepers, was this considered unusually trite?

Alysa shuddered. "Lorina! Please answer me!"

He looked like an underage homicidal maniac. Where had he taken Lorina? What was he _doing_to Lorina? Would she be all right until Alysa found her again? Would Alysa find her again? If she could get so easily lost in this place, it had to be large, and if it was large, how could she possibly find a single person? What if she never saw her cousin again?

No. Alysa shook the thought out of her head. She would find her cousin, regardless of how long it took. She would get Lorina out of this godforsaken "Wonderland," if it was the last thing she did.

"Let me go! That hurt!" Lorina shoved the boy off of her. After tackling her, it seemed that Oliver had apparated them somewhere entirely different. It was still heavily forested, but the trees seemed thinner and lighter. More light filtered through the leaves and the whole area was brighter. She could hear jazz music floating by, its source nowhere to be seen, but apparently close enough to be heard.

"Why did you do that? _How_did you do that? Alysa's probably scared out of her wits, and you held her at gunpoint!"

The boy climbed off of her, ears flat against his head. "Oliver wanted to play with You, but the hag wouldn't let us."

"My name isn't 'You!'" she shouted, making the boy shrink. "It's Lorina! And that's no excuse to be point guns at people! Do you even know what guns can do? They _kill_people! Dead! Okay?"

"But… but…" he had shrunk closer to the ground, "but Oliver wanted—"

"It doesn't matter what you wanted! You acted selfishly and now Alysa—she probably thinks I'm dead! What if I am dead? You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"But… play…" the boy began shaking. "Oliver… play…"

Lorina stepped away while Oliver shivered. When she sat on the ground with a thump, he scooted over to her and reached out his hand. She flinched away and he withdrew his hand with a start.

"Sorry," he curled back, lip quivering. "Oliver is sorry." With a tentative air, he scooted closer. "Oliver won't do it again."

She tried not to flinch away—it might set him off again. "G-good," she said instead. Eyes sinking, they landed on his collar's silver tag.

_Oliver Bell_

_Breed: Cheshire_

_Property of T. Cupp_

_If lost, please return_

_lost pet to the_

_Am. Park_

That was an awful lot of words for one tag, Lorina thought, squinting to read it all. What was an "Am. Park"? She asked Oliver about it.

"Oliver lives there," he replied, pointing in the direction of the source of the jazz music. "Does Y—Lorina want to play with Oliver there?"

Her eyebrows knit, considering her options. He kidnapped her just to "play," and it didn't seem like he was letting her go until she did. He had tolerated her shouting, but there was no telling when he would snap again. "Maybe some other time," she tried. "I need to get back to Alysa. Can you take me back?"

Oliver knit his eyebrows, too. "Oliver doesn't think so. Oliver can only travel to places he knows. Oliver was lost when he found you, but Oliver can travel to his home. Do you want to play with Oliver there?"

"Oliver," Lorina sighed, "I can't play—"

He looked heartbroken.

"—um… I can't play very long, okay?" she amended. _Stay alive until you find Alysa again._

"Okay! Oliver understands!" And with that, he grabbed her hand, and they whisked away.

**I have always been a little irritated at the creators for making Boris the Cheshire cat for several reasons. The first is that he was wearing a halter top, which was/is just disturbing, the second was that he wasn't very smiley, and instead made him a good-natured prankster with multiple piercings, which is as permissible as the halter top. I think he's adorable, but not Cheshire material. The third and most important reason is that Boris is SANE. He's the Cheshire cat! He should be completely unhinged! And so… I might have made Oliver a little too creepy.**


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